And now for something completely different

Uncommon Ground to play Bodles, By Vicki Botta Chester — If mandolin player Wayne Fugate were any more excited about being part of the versatile band Uncommon Ground, he’d take flight over his hometown of Chester with a banner announcing the band’s debut at Bodles Opera House next Friday. These five musicians combine precise, classically trained violin and bass lines with fluid, bluegrass-influenced vocals, mandolin, and guitar — the “uncommon ground” that launched their original style. The magic is in their chemistry. They love being together so much they would probably get together whether they played music or not, says guitarist Mike Kobetitsh of Monroe. As they perform, they delight listeners with their easy camaraderie and humorous banter. While they each play separately in as many different venues as they can, all the while they maintain their affiliation with one other as Uncommon Ground. Both Kobetitsh and Fugate, who studied mandolin with Barry Mitterhoff (Hot Tuna) and Chris Thile (Nickel Creek), are bluegrass veterans who have performed with Out to Lunch and Grammy Award-winning fiddler Lisa Gutkin. Violinist Rachel Handman and bassist Phil Helm are both principals in the Hudson Valley Philharmonic. Handman is a member of the classical Tourmaline String Quartet and a founding member of the Barebones and Wildflowers bluegrass band. She has performed with Vasser Clements, the Kruger Brothers, Michael Cleveland, and Jay Ungar and Molly Mason, and has accompanied such luminaries as Richie Havens, Livingston Taylor, Roberta Flack, and Ray Charles. She has also performed as a dancer, singer, and musician in Bernstein’s “On the Town,” in the off-Broadway production of “Oil City Symphony.” Vocalist Sara Della Posta, who also plays French horn in the Hudson Valley Philharmonic, recently performed in the orchestra at Radio City for all the “Holiday Spectacular” shows. She has recorded with Natalie Cole. “If I listed one highlight of my career, it would be playing in the Jerusalem Symphony (Radio) Orchestra for three years, traveling and playing all over Israel and Europe,” Della Posta said. “Ah, my 20s!” When she and Handman got together to sing some music, they realized they had a special sound, which they brought to Uncommon Ground. Phil Helm is described as a chameleon, feeling just at home in a jazz trio as he does as principal bassist for the philharmonic, and assistant principal in the Albany Symphony Orchestra and the U.S. Military Band. While providing rock-solid bass rhythms and incredible tone, his biography says it’s his bowed solos that make audiences sit up and notice. He has performed at Eisenhower Hall, Carnegie Hall, and John F. Kennedy Center for Performing Arts, and often appears as a featured soloist. Fugate said he came to playing the mandolin late, beginning when he was 22. He describes himself as obsessive about what he loves. He deftly switches from bluegrass to Latin and jazz styles, and has performed as a member of the New York Mandolin orchestra. He loves exploring bluegrass music from different countries, and is presently fanatical about the Swedish group Frigg. He’s appeared on many bluegrass CDs, including Dean Friedman’s “Songs for Grown-ups,” banjoist Tom Hanway’s “Buckets of Bees,” Ben Freed’s “Banjobolis,” “Bluegrass Banjo,” “Speed of Sound,” and “Sugar Tree Stomp.” He also appears on Lisa Gutkin’s “Sidewalk Angel.” He has written two mandolin books and co-authored a book with Barry Mitterhoff and Michael Sassano. When he is not performing, teaching, writing books, or putting his children through college by selling computer software, he performs with guitarist Kevin Edge exploring Brazilian choro music, and with Manhattan Hot Club, devoted to advancing Gypsy jazz in the style of Django Reinhart. Guitarist Mike Kobetitsh loves any music that includes guitar — from jazz to classical and everything in between. A former bass player in his school orchestra years ago, he grew up playing rock and roll before discovering bluegrass. Now he enjoys playing square dances with Pat Cannon’s Foot and Fiddle Dance Company and has performed Celtic music at the Lincoln Center Out of Doors Festival. He has also toured with The Platters, Lisa Gutkin, and at prestigious Irish festivals. He is also an accomplished mandolin, tin whistle, and bodhran player and can be heard playing tin whistle on Lucy Kaplansky’s debut album “The Tide.” Kobetitsh said he’s never played with musicians with such varied musical backgrounds as the players in Uncommon Ground. If you are looking to discover new bluegrass music played in a way you’ve never heard it before, it’s a good bet the band’s performance will put a tap in your toes and a smile on your face. Bodles Opera House is located at 39 Main St., Chester. Mike Baglione will open the show for Uncommon Ground on Friday, Jan. 18. Doors open at 6:30 p.m. Tickets are $12.50. Call 469-4595 for reservations.